Is Trump staking some sort of claim in Africa, as he’s trying to do in South America? From Andrew Korybko at korybko.substack.com:
This might not be a one-off attack for domestic political purposes but the beginning of a campaign aimed at wresting Nigeria away from BRICS and restoring its role as the West’s regional enforcer.
Trump surprised the world by announcing on Christmas that the US bombed “ISIS Terrorist Scum in Northwest Nigeria”, whose government cooperated with the operation. This follows him drawing global attention to the slaughter of Christians in Northern Nigeria last fall, which was analyzed here at the time. It was concluded that the US “might want the right to occasionally strike Islamists there, at least one military base, Nigeria distancing itself from BRICS, and Nigeria playing the role of the West’s enforcer”.
As it presently stands, the first of these objectives has been achieved. Waiting until Christmas to bomb ISIS in Nigeria was probably a political calculation by Trump for maximally appealing to his base. The timing also makes it difficult for his opponents to criticize it too. This might therefore be more than a one-off attack for domestic political purposes. While US boots on the ground are ruled out, more attacks are possible, and these could be carried out in coordination with Nigerian ground operations in the area.
The new National Security Strategy declares that “we must remain wary of resurgent Islamist terrorist activity in parts of Africa while avoiding any long-term American presence or commitments” so it makes sense to work in coordination with local forces instead of unilaterally trying to thwart these threats. An unofficial US military presence, possibly comprised of special forces and/or intelligence agents, could help coordinate a campaign in Northern Nigeria and thus achieve the second identified objective.
Were the bombs made of gold?
Not so many to kick around for the warmaster that hasn’t won in 80 years.